Accuracy
Development
Audience/Genre
Organization
Spelling
Punctuation &
Grammar
Usage
Excellent
10
10
10
5
5
5
Good
8
8
8
4
4
4
Fair
6
6
6
3
3
3
Poor
4
4
4
2
2
2
5
4
3
2
Total Score: ________
Descriptor
Accuracy
Excellent: All facts included are correct and complete; facts complement the argument or reinforce the
thesis and are appropriate to the reader’s level of understanding.
Good: All facts are correct and complete and mostly complement the argument or reinforce the thesis and
are appropriate to the reader’s level of understanding.
Fair: All major facts are correct but may be missing crucial contextual information or be tangential to the
argument or thesis. Generally appropriate for the audience.
Poor: At least one, and sometimes more, major facts are incorrect; facts are correct but taken out of
context so they are distorted; facts are irrelevant to the argument or thesis or inappropriate to the
audience.
Development
Excellent: The points or claims are fully explained and supported. The writer goes the extra mile to be
sure the reader gets the point by providing helpful examples or details. When necessary, the writer
anticipates or refutes counterarguments.
Good: All important points or claims are adequately explained and supported with some extra detail.
Fair: Most points or claims are adequately explained and supported but with minimal detail. Some minor
points may be left unexplained or unsupported.
Poor: Many of the points are inadequately unexplained or unsupported, or explanation or support is not
present.
Organization
Excellent: The whole document has a clear and obvious principle of organization that makes it easy to
read and understand; in longer documents, headings or topic sentences aid in skimming. Paragraphs have
a clear topic or function and are of an appropriate length. All parts of the document support the thesis or
main point.
Good: Most of the document has a clear and obvious principle of organization that makes it easy to read
and understand; the document can be skimmed easily. Most paragraphs have a clear topic or function and
are of an appropriate length.
Fair: The principle of organization may not always be clear, or there may be some straying from the thesis
or main point. There may be some paragraphs that are very long or very short for no obvious reason.
Poor: There is no clear principle of organization; most paragraphs are very long or very short for no
obvious reason.
Audience/Genre
Excellent: The writer takes pains to accommodate to the audience and genre by adjusting word choice,
style, and content. It is quite clear from the title and introduction who the intended reader would be.
Good: There is some attempt to address the specified audience, but the writer sometimes lapses into an
alternate style (for example, too academic for a newsletter).
Fair: The writer tends to forget the audience and simply write about the topic or develop the thesis; even
when the genre isn’t an essay, the writer uses essay-like conventions or style. Some elements may show an
awareness of genre, perhaps the title or paragraph length, but overall the language is general or the writer
simply writes for the teacher.
Poor: The writer ignores the needs of the audience and the conventions of the genre.
Spelling
Excellent: No spelling errors.
Good: One or two spelling errors, but not of the type to make meaning obscure, and not of basic or
common words. The error may be the result of the writer taking risks and trying new vocabulary. or it may
be a common error that is not always recognized as such (for example "thru" for "through").
Fair: A few minor spelling errors (more than two) but not enough to harm the writer's ethos seriously or
impede the reader's comprehension.
Poor: A major misspelling of important or common words, or a number of minor errors that interfere
with easy reading or comprehension.
Punctuation, & Grammar
Excellent: Punctuation and grammar are appropriate to the audience and genre and in fact enhance the
style. They conform to the conventions for edited American English, or, if they do not, the reason is
rhetorical and stylistic. Errors may occur but are few and do not markedly distract the reader.
Good: Punctuation and grammar are appropriate to the audience and genre. They conform to the
conventions for edited American English. Errors may occur but are few and do not markedly distract the
reader.
Fair: Punctuation and grammar errors may occur but are few; while they occasionally distract the reader
and cause less fluency, they do not detract from comprehension.
Poor: Errors occur frequently and mar the writer’s ethos and the reader’s comprehension. Reading is
frequently interrupted by error. The writer has not proofread.
Usage
Excellent: Usage is in accordance with edited American English and sounds appropriate for the audience.
There is no inappropriate use of slang or jargon. Words and expressions seem carefully selected for the
genre and audience.
Good: Usage is in accordance with edited American English and sounds appropriate for the audience and
gene. There may be a few clichés included, but they are used correctly.
Fair: Usage is sometimes wrong, or too formal or informal for the audience and genre, but this does not
impede comprehension.
Poor: Improper usage and errors in usage are frequent and mar the writer’s ethos and the reader’s
comprehension.